


Head Canon 3: Q Hates Shakespeare

by AtoTheBean



Series: Ato's Head Canons [3]
Category: James Bond (Craig movies)
Genre: M/M, Price Most Dear 'verse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-05
Updated: 2019-07-05
Packaged: 2020-06-12 18:00:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19579084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AtoTheBean/pseuds/AtoTheBean
Summary: This head canon relates specifically to the "a price most dear" 'verse, and contains spoilers for that story.  If you haven't read it yet and hate spoilers, you may want to head there first.





	Head Canon 3: Q Hates Shakespeare

**Author's Note:**

> This head canon relates specifically to the "a price most dear" 'verse, and contains spoilers for that story. If you haven't read it yet and hate spoilers, you may want to head there first.

  
  


James has been living in Q’s half-timber cottage for about five months when he makes a startling discovery.

Q hates Shakespeare.

No, not really. That would be absurd, considering the man had been his mentor, and Q was in the original cast of several of the plays.

But Q hates _seeing_ Shakespeare.

No, that’s not it either… not really. He loves productions that contemporize the settings (they were largely set in contemporary times when written, he insists… except the histories, which were… well _historic_ , even then). He loves hearing the language spoken live and _well_ , and has the strangest accent for several hours afterward. He doesn’t actually speak in iambic pentameter, but there’s a definite lilt to his voice. And he pulls out very old leather-bound books and reads to James for hours.

But if they go see a play that’s trying to be authentic — with period costumes and sets —and especially if it’s very _precious_ about how authentic it’s being… Well, Q wants none of that. He’ll say he’s enjoying himself, but won’t be able to stop himself from complaining for hours about what they got wrong. And heaven help James if BBC deigns to do a documentary about the period…

But James sees it for what it is. For all of Q’s technological prowess and modernity — for as well as he manages to be a man of _this_ time — Q sometimes feels lost. A man of _that_ time, misplaced in history.

When that happens, James takes Q’s hand and walks him to St. Leonard’s Church in Shoreditch, just a few blocks from their home. They wander past the marker for James Burbage and the other Players, and he stops, wraps his arms around Q from behind, and whispers, “Tell me about them.”

And when Q has — when he’s explained James Burbage’s perfectionism or Will’s constant last-minute rewriting or John’s belly-laugh — and finally feels at peace again, they walk over to Lulu’s pub, where the gaudy fairy lights are up all year and there’s always laughter and a mixture of the old and new. 

Those nights Q always falls asleep clinging to James a little more tightly than usual. And James clings right back and feels grateful.


End file.
